I had a striking dream a few years ago. I was with an old friend and one of my brothers. We arrived at a busy lakefront kind of beach. It was really busy and a lot of people were in the water as well. Behind the water in the background was city traffic, cars, pollution, congestion. We got into the water with the crowd. Suddenly I was car…
I had a striking dream a few years ago. I was with an old friend and one of my brothers. We arrived at a busy lakefront kind of beach. It was really busy and a lot of people were in the water as well. Behind the water in the background was city traffic, cars, pollution, congestion. We got into the water with the crowd. Suddenly I was carried away by the current. I was taken down stream into a remote river. I was alone. I was pulled by the current until I hit a fallen tree/log that was blocking the way. At that point a solitary bee came out from one of the holes in the tree and flew around me. I woke up.
What's interesting about that is that I went on a solitary vision quest last year in the mountains of Olympic National Park. I wanted to get more clarity on my vocation. During a self-created ceremony, I went to a large bolder in a niche of where I was camping that night. It too was blocking the way. It resembled an altar but with the front being flat instead of the top. I offered my question around vocation and opened up to receive whatever image might come. A solitary bee, amidst the total isolation and rainfall, appeared seemingly out of nowhere (it seemed to come from the base of the rock). It flew around me in a similar fashion to my dream.
I've been tending to the image/symbol of the bee and how it might be psychopomp helping guide me through this threshold - a dweller on the threshold. Part of my tending is around learning and embracing the archetypal qualities of the bee in my own life. The bee is a rich symbol. I'm open to your reflections if any. :-)
What a fascinating synchronicity! Working with the archetypal qualities of the bee is a good start, as indeed it does seem to be a psychopomp present both in the dream state and during your ceremony. Was it a honeybee? Different variations would carry particular meaning, so I'm curious of that before throwing out some ideas.
I'm not sure for the dream. It was either a honey bee or a bumble bee. The bee during the vision quest was definitely a bumble bee though (a Western Bubble Bee).
For both types of bees, the role as pollinator strikes me as potentially important. A bee may be seen flying around, solitary, but there's always an implication of the work they are doing and why. Foraging for a greater purpose. Providing for the collective. Their lives are short and yet the impact they have on the entire ecosystem is incredible! It seems indirect, in a way. They happen to pollinate flowers, plants, etc while on a mission to gather the necessary resources, to venture out into uncertain land where they may not return.
It leads me to wonder...
- In what ways may you be venturing out and to what purpose?
- What is being pollinated, what creative act does this work serve?
There's also an interesting connection between the bee the great mother archetype as the queen bee plays such a major role. Is there anything further to contemplate around this time of life and this archetype?
Hi Alyssa. Thank you for that reflection and those guiding questions! I'm going to contemplate them further. I like the connection to pollination as well as service. It resonates. I also find some resonance with the Muses and their connection to bees.
In mentioning the Mother Archetype, what comes to mind is that I recently drew the Empress as my significator card on a Celtic cross spread with the intention of also getting clarity on vocation. There might be some correspondence there as well. Thank you!
You're welcome! The connection to the Muses is a great addition, perhaps there is a particular Muse or two who really stands out to you?
Here are some ways I define the Empress card, perhaps the keywords stir something up?
The Empress - “Creation”- nurturance, abundance, creative expression, sensuality, beauty, fertility, relationality, nourishment, connection to the natural world
I had a striking dream a few years ago. I was with an old friend and one of my brothers. We arrived at a busy lakefront kind of beach. It was really busy and a lot of people were in the water as well. Behind the water in the background was city traffic, cars, pollution, congestion. We got into the water with the crowd. Suddenly I was carried away by the current. I was taken down stream into a remote river. I was alone. I was pulled by the current until I hit a fallen tree/log that was blocking the way. At that point a solitary bee came out from one of the holes in the tree and flew around me. I woke up.
What's interesting about that is that I went on a solitary vision quest last year in the mountains of Olympic National Park. I wanted to get more clarity on my vocation. During a self-created ceremony, I went to a large bolder in a niche of where I was camping that night. It too was blocking the way. It resembled an altar but with the front being flat instead of the top. I offered my question around vocation and opened up to receive whatever image might come. A solitary bee, amidst the total isolation and rainfall, appeared seemingly out of nowhere (it seemed to come from the base of the rock). It flew around me in a similar fashion to my dream.
I've been tending to the image/symbol of the bee and how it might be psychopomp helping guide me through this threshold - a dweller on the threshold. Part of my tending is around learning and embracing the archetypal qualities of the bee in my own life. The bee is a rich symbol. I'm open to your reflections if any. :-)
What a fascinating synchronicity! Working with the archetypal qualities of the bee is a good start, as indeed it does seem to be a psychopomp present both in the dream state and during your ceremony. Was it a honeybee? Different variations would carry particular meaning, so I'm curious of that before throwing out some ideas.
I'm not sure for the dream. It was either a honey bee or a bumble bee. The bee during the vision quest was definitely a bumble bee though (a Western Bubble Bee).
For both types of bees, the role as pollinator strikes me as potentially important. A bee may be seen flying around, solitary, but there's always an implication of the work they are doing and why. Foraging for a greater purpose. Providing for the collective. Their lives are short and yet the impact they have on the entire ecosystem is incredible! It seems indirect, in a way. They happen to pollinate flowers, plants, etc while on a mission to gather the necessary resources, to venture out into uncertain land where they may not return.
It leads me to wonder...
- In what ways may you be venturing out and to what purpose?
- What is being pollinated, what creative act does this work serve?
There's also an interesting connection between the bee the great mother archetype as the queen bee plays such a major role. Is there anything further to contemplate around this time of life and this archetype?
Hi Alyssa. Thank you for that reflection and those guiding questions! I'm going to contemplate them further. I like the connection to pollination as well as service. It resonates. I also find some resonance with the Muses and their connection to bees.
In mentioning the Mother Archetype, what comes to mind is that I recently drew the Empress as my significator card on a Celtic cross spread with the intention of also getting clarity on vocation. There might be some correspondence there as well. Thank you!
You're welcome! The connection to the Muses is a great addition, perhaps there is a particular Muse or two who really stands out to you?
Here are some ways I define the Empress card, perhaps the keywords stir something up?
The Empress - “Creation”- nurturance, abundance, creative expression, sensuality, beauty, fertility, relationality, nourishment, connection to the natural world